Historical Childhood Sexual Abuse

One of our newer therapists, Julie Luscombe, has spent the last year as a counsellor supporting survivors, with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).

She writes, “since the Jimmy Savile scandal, abuse survivors have felt encouraged to talk about abuse, rather than feeling silenced. Although we still hear about child abuse in the news most days, the stigma around it is lessening. However, the effects of abuse can leave some people suffering with debilitating and consuming symptoms of post-traumatic stress. When trust has been violated a person feels devalued and this can compromise self-esteem and affect all aspects of a person’s life. Traumatic memories can persist because the brain was not able to file away the traumatic memory at the time of the abuse – it was too busy trying the keep the victim safe in the abuse situation. These unresolved traumatic memories can cause a person to feel that the traumatic event is happening over and over again. Therapy can help by helping the brain properly process trauma.”

Julie Luscombe works as a qualified counsellor in our Newbury practice, with both men and women who have been abused as children and young adults. She helps them find a greater sense of safety and security, understand how to manage trauma symptoms, and start on the road to recovery.

She also has extensive experience working with issues of domestic violence, abuse and sexual violation and has developed a training program for use by medical professionals and the police to help front-line workers understand post-traumatic stress.

Julie offers clients a safe non-judgemental place to work through this process, explore difficulties and move towards change. To have someone to talk to and work through the trauma related symptoms can alleviate distress and empower your life.

Julie Luscombe, MBACP, is a specialist counsellor in the area of trauma and sexual abuse, and a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

She was a counsellor, supporting survivors, with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) during 2016-2017. She also has been working at Trust House Reading for the past 3 years.